What you have here is that edginess of a lot of New York-based artists, and an abrasiveness that can often be found in a lot of European jazz, one that is very different from the American brand. Yet it's jazz, one that is both traditional and free when they want to be, and these guys are very capable of going all out in the free department. When they want to surf their inner ambitions, it's all about heavy tube action and reaching for the lip knowing it's the goal but constantly moving away from it so that reaching the goal becomes more satisfying than the goal itself. When they relax and contemplate life, love, and sound, it's one of the best things you've ever heard.